Broken capillaries is a term used to describe enlarged, unsightly capillaries of the face, neck, and chest. Spider veins are the blue and red veins found most commonly on the legs. These two types of vascular lesions are treated quite differently due the size difference and their location.

Broken capillaries, also known as telangiectasis, are treated by multiple laser types. We use a combination of IPL and Long Pulse Nd:Yag to treat these blood vessels, and multiple treatments are often needed.

Sclerotherapy is the gold standard treatment for spider veins of the legs. It involves using a tiny needle to inject a substance into the veins to cause the veins to reduce in size and eventually disappear. The most common substance injected is a concentrated, salty saline solution which is very safe with minimal risks.

Occasionally, lasers can be used to treat tiny spider veins that are too small for the sclerotherapy needle to penetrate, but lasers are never the treatment of choice. Laser treatments of leg veins are not very successful and have more complications than sclerotherapy.